Nail-packing machinery



' T, ALEXANDER.

NAIL PACKING MACHINERY.

APPLICATJON FILED o.cT.2o. 1919.

1,340,200. Patented May 18, 1920.

qpihwoo UNITED STATES PATENT OFFXCE.

TRUE ALEXANDER, OF ASHLAND, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO NORTON IRON WORKS, 0FASHLAND, KENTUCKY, A CORPORATION OF KENTUCKY.

NAIL-PACKING MACHINERY.

Application filed October 20, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TRUE ALEXANDER, a citizen of the United States,residin at Ashland, in the county of Boyd and r tate of Kentucky, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Nail-Packing Machinery,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in nail packing machinery, andhas particular reference to improved means for handling nails or othersimilar articles in such manner as to effect the packing thereof intosuitable containers so that the latter will be en abled to receivethemaximum number of nails which their capacity affords.

It is a well known fact that nails or other like articles when insertedinto a container such as a barrel or cask will, under ordinaryconditions, assume such positions as will tend to take up more spacethan their bulk or quantity should occupy. Therefore, the presentinvention has for its object to provide improved machinery forautomatically operating said containers so as to cause a settling orcondensing of the nails therein and to produce this result in such animproved manner as will enable the containers to receive a far greaternumber or amount of articles than has hitherto been possible by the useof methods now in common v0 ue.

other object of the invention resides in mechanism of the abovecharacter and purpose which will tend to reduce the barrel costs of nailmanufacturers by providing means whereby a greater number of nails maybe positioned in the same sized barrels than has hitherto been possible.

Accordingly, the present invention consists in the provision of areciprocating structure which is adapted to be connected with a barrelor other container into which nails are being placed, whereby upon thereciprocation of said structure said. barrel will be shaken back andforth so that a thorough and complete settling of the nails therein willbe provided. Another essential feature of the present invention residesin the provision of spring or resilient. mechanism arranged incombination. with the reciprocatingstructure, the resilient mechanismservmg. to impart quick outward thrusts to the lower end of said barrelso that successive Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1920.

Serial No. 332,017.

jolts or jars will be imparted to the latter and to its contents.

With these and other objects in View, as will appear as the descriptionproceeds, the invention further consists in the novel features ofconstruction, combination of ele ments and arrangement of parts,hereinafter to be fully described and to have the scope thereof pointedout in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, andin which similar characters of reference denote like and correspondingparts:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the improved nail packingmachine comprising the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a top plan View thereof, and

Fig. 3 is a front elevation.

The nail packing machine A comprising the present invention ispreferably used in connection with a frame structure 1 which includes aninclined table 2 and a vertical frontv wall 3. The table 2 has its lowerfronFedge terminated over a hopper 4: into which nails or other similararticles or devices are adapted to be passed. If desired, the table 2may be situated immediately beneath a tumbling barrel or other similaragitating structure in which the nails are brightened or polished,whereby upon the finishing of this cleaning process, the tumbling barrelmay be reversed so that its contents will be discharged upon the table2. When this action takes place,said nails will gravitate, owing to theinclination of the table 2, toward the hopper or hoppers 4 into whichthe nails are deposited upon leaving said table. As usual, the fOIWz'rulend or bottom of the hopper is provided with an opening 5, and thebottom of said hopper may be inclined in a manner similar to the table 2so that said nails will gravitate toward the opening 5 thereof.Ordinarily, it has hithertobeen the practice to simply place a barrel,cask or other container 6 immediately beneath the opening 5 so that thenails could. be collected. and

placedin condition for shipment. However, the present invention providesmechanism for oscillating or reciprocating the barrel 6 in a quick,sharp and positivemanner in order that an effective settling of thenails contained therein may be obtained and in this manner to obtain themaximum holding capacity of the barrel. I

The present invention, therefore contemplates the provision of a barrelreciprocating structure 7 V which preferably consists of a metallic bar8, arranged for sliding movement within spaced bearings 9, the latterbeing mounted upon a suitable foundation block 10. The forward end ofthe bar 8 is arranged to project through an opening 11 formed in thefront wall 3, and this outwardly projecting end of said bar is equippedwith a yoke shaped barrel embracing member 12 as shown, the member 12has a diameter which enables the same to receive the barrel 6. Alsoprovided upon the protruding end of the bar 8 is an angle bracket 13which is bolted or otherwise secured as at let to said bar. Hence, inorder to connect the barrel 6 with the bar 8, a metallic ring or hoop 15is positioned about said barrel so as to extend behind the vertical legof the bracket 13. By virtue of this construction it will be obviousthat upon inward movement of the bar 8 corresponding movement will beimparted to the barrel 6 and upon outward movement of said bar similarmovement will be imparted to the barrel by virtue of the member 12.

To effect the reciprocation of the bar 8, the inner end of the latter isconnected with a pivoted link 16, the latter having its other endconnected with an eccentric strap 17. This strap is arranged upon aneccentric 18, which, in turn, is keyed or otherwise secured upon atransversely extending%haft 19. Obviously, upon the rotation of theshaft 19 back and forth movement will be imparted to the link 16 andhence owing to the pivotal connection 20 between said link and bar,reciprocation would be imparted to the structure 7 as a whole.

To render the operation of the above mechanism more effective andpositive, the front wall 3 has its lower edge provided with a block 21from which extends a plurality of horizontally arranged coil springs 22,the inner ends of said springs being suitably connected with the block21, while their outer ends are connected with a curve plate 23, which isso situated as to be capable of engaging with the lower end of thebarrel 6. By virtue of this spring con struction, it will be manifestthat when the bar 8 is drawn inwardly, said springs will be compressedand that upon outward movement of said bar, said springs will bereleased from their stressed condition and permitted to thrust thebarrel violently in an outward direction. Thisresults in imparting aseries of abrupt jars to the contents of the barrel so that a thoroughand complete setting of the contents within said barrel is accomplished.

From the foregoing description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing, it will be apparent that there is provided asimple and effective structure for carrying out the aims of the presentinvention, and one which will be simple to operate and control. It willbe apparent that a barrel may be quickly connected or disconnected withthe reciprocating structure by the mere use of the hoop or ring 15 andthat such substitutions of empty for filled barrels may be accomplishedin a brief and rapid manner. The discharge openings 5 may be providedwith the usual controlling door if desired. It has been found inpractice that the use of the present invention considerably increasesthe nail holding capacity of a barrel or other container and it is inthis capacity of reducing barrel expense that is believed to be theoutstanding feature of the invention. However, it will be appreciatedthat owing to the existing comparatively high costs of barrels of thisnature that a reduction in their use without effecting production isessentially desirable.

In the foregoing, the invention has been described and set forth asbeing primarily applicable for the purpose of compactly assembling orpositioning nails in barrels, and accordingly, these terms have beenemployed in certain of the following claims. However, it is not intendedthat the same shall be used in limiting sense, as it is obvious thatcontainers other than barrels may be employed and likewise spikes,screws or other similar articles may be packed in such containers inlieu of nails.

What I claim is:

1. In a barrel shaking mechanism, the combination with a reciprocatingmember, a barrel embracing yoke formed upon the forward end of saidmember, a ring arranged to encircle a barrel embraced by said yoke,means for detachably connecting said ring with said member, and drivingmechanism for reciprocating said member.

2. In mechanism of the class described,

the combination with a reciprocating memher, a barrel embracing yokecarried by said member, an angle bracket rigidly carried by said memberto the rear of said yoke, a hoop arranged to be detachably connectedwith said member and to encircle a barrel embraced by said yoke, wherebyupon the reciprocation of said member movement in unison will beimparted to the barrel connected therewith, and means for reoiprocat- 4.In mechanism of the class described, the combination with a framestructure including a nail receiving hopper, a reciprocating memberdisposed beneath said hopper, means for detachably connecting a barrelfor reciprocation with said member and to maintain said barrel inregistration with said hopper, resilient means interposed between saidframe structure and said barrel and means for actuating member.

5. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with a framestructure having a protruding hopper beneath which a barrel is adaptedto be arranged, of a recip- 7 said resillent rocating member cooperativewith said bar- I rel, said member including a forwardly disposed, yokeshaped barrel embracing portion, a bracket carried by said member in aposition contiguous to said yoke shaped portion, a hoop arranged to beconnected with said bracket and to encircle a barrel embraced by saidyoke shaped portion, and a spring structure cooperative with the bottomof said barrel.

6. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with areciprocatory member, means carried by the forward end of said memberfor detachably connecting a container therewith, resilient meansdisposed beneath said member and cooperative with the bottom of saidcontainer, and means for reciprocating said member.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

TRUE ALEXANDER.

WVitnesses:

E. E. AYERs, O. O. SEMLEPP.

